Pokemon: Naturals
by Akeno
Summary: Rated T just in case. Follows the story of Terry, May, and a few other trainers as they travel through Hoenn, unraveling the mysteries that surround Pokemon and the Natural Trainers.
1. The Journey Begins

Pokémon: Naturals

By: Akeno

_Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, U-Haul, or anything else protected by law that may appear in this fanfiction._

_Author's Note: This story appears entirely in third person view, with limited omniscience on Terry (main character, Brendan with a different name). The basic story line comes from the Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire games, and I draw as little as I can from the Pokémon TV show. I hate the TV show. Names in this story will differ from names in the games ever so slightly, I've made the Pokémon battles a little more violent, and describe them graphically, and I've increased the distance between Hoenn's towns greatly. So it takes a few days to get to Oldale Town. Because of the greater distance between places, I've also changed the places where some major events take place. It wouldn't make sense to go battle May on route 103 if it would take days to get there. Character ages have been changed; May and Terry are both fourteen. Also note that this story is being published at the same time as my Harvest Moon fanfiction, entitled 'Friends of Mineral Town: The Beginning'. Please enjoy!_

**Chapter 1: The Journey Begins**

Terry was angry. He was angry at many things. First, he was angry that his stupid father had forced him to move from Johto to Hoenn. Second, he was angry that his father never let him have a Pokémon of his own; not even a Magikarp. And lastly, he was angry at his mother for making him ride in the back of their U-Haul truck.

"'Keep all the boxes safe,' she says," he grumbled to himself, "'There are fragile things inside of them,' she says. Like the Machokes are going to care if the stuff is fragile!" he said loudly, hoping his mother could hear him in the cab of the truck. She couldn't, so he frowned, slammed his back against one of the towers of boxes, and sat down. Unfortunately, slamming the boxes made them wobble, and when he sat down, the top one fell on his head.

"Dang it! First the stupid drive takes forever, then we move to some tiny town in the middle of nowhere, instead of Petalburg where Dad actually works, and now a stupid box falls on my freakin' head! I wish I had a freakin' Pokémon!" He rubbed his head and began pacing inside the truck, even though there was a large sign on the left wall that said, 'No standing up while the truck is in motion.' He didn't really believe anything would happen. A few hours later, he found that he was wrong.

_SCREEECH!_ The truck stopped, and Terry flew to the front of the truck, smashing his head on the wall. It hurt, and he groaned in pain. Some of the boxes fell, and he got a strange satisfaction from hearing something glass inside one of the boxes breaking. After a little while, the door to the back of the truck opened, and two Machokes jumped in. Terry was dumbstruck. They were so big…and they picked up the towers of boxes like they were all empty. He snapped out of it though, when he heard his mother's shrill voice.

"Terry! Come on out! We have to get ready!" He sighed, rubbed his head from where the box hit him and he hit the wall. It was still sore, but he knew better than to tell his mother. He jumped out of the truck and followed his mother to their house. Before he walked in, though, he took a look around their new home, Littleroot Town. It was small; very small. Fifty, maybe sixty houses in all, a large building off in the distance; the entire town was surrounded by a thick forest, which probably didn't allow for much expansion if forest Pokémon lived in it. His mother turned around and saw him checking out the town.

"Like it? It's our new home! Professor Birch, your father's friend, lives right next door to us, but spends most of his time at the big building over there." She ushered him inside, where the large Machokes were busy unpacking. "Terry, you should go check out your room. Oh, and here," she said, while handing him a blue wall clock, "Your dad bought you this to commemorate our move! It's all set up, so you should go hang it in you bedroom. Check to see if you like your bedroom, and maybe take a nap. It's the room right at the end of the hallway." Terry nodded and went upstairs. His room was nice. It had a rug, a bed, a PC, and a TV with his GameCube hooked up to it. He put his wall clock on the wall, went to his PC and withdrew the one potion he had in it, put it in his backpack, and yawned. Looking at the clock, it said 3:04 PM; but he had been in the back off a moving truck for hours. A nap would do him good. He took off his clothes and backpack, climbed into bed, and fell asleep.

When Terry woke up, the sun was shining bright. He got up, put on his clothes and backpack, and rubbed his eyes. The wall clock said 3:08 PM, but he knew he had slept more than four minutes, which could only mean he had been out for at least a day. He walked slowly down the hall and down the stairs, when he heard his mother yelling at him.

"Terry! Terry! Come quick!" He mumbled to himself something about people yelling too loud, but hurried downstairs. His mother was in front of the TV set waving frantically at him. He ran to her side and saw a woman in a blue suit with a microphone.

"_We brought you this report from outside of the Petalburg Gym. All Hoenn would like to welcome our newest gym leader, Norman, and his family, who are staying in Littleroot Town! Thank you, and good day!"_

Terry's mom frowned. "Well. They were interviewing your dad, but I guess we missed him. Sorry dear. Anyway, you must feel refreshed! You slept an entire day! You should go introduce yourself to Professor Birch." Terry nodded and walked outside. He turned to the house next to his, shoved his hands in his pockets, and began walking towards it. In front of the house, he raised his hands and knocked on the door. After awhile the door opened, and a middle-aged woman was looking down at him.

"Hello. Who might you be?" she asked kindly.

"Terry Yamato. I'm Norman Yamato's son," he said.

"Oh yes! My husband said that Norman was moving in yesterday. Well. Why don't you go introduce yourself to May? She's upstairs in her room." He nodded and walked sullenly up the stairs. It wasn't too hard to find May's room; the door had a pink sign on it that said, 'May's Room!' in bright letters. He knocked softly.

"Come on in!" It was a girl's voice. It was cheery and friendly. He opened the door softly. Despite the pink sign on the room's door, the room wasn't at all like Terry expected. It looked very plain; not a stereotypical girl's room at all. In fact, it looked just like Terry's, with the exception of a small Treecko doll in the middle of the floor. A girl, who he guessed was May, was at the PC. If he was a little more emotional, he might have blushed. She was cute; and her outfit didn't hurt her at all.

"All right! Pokémon log updated, Pokémon fully healed and…done!" She smiled, stood up, and stretched. Then, she saw him.

"Oh! Hi! Who are you? I'm May Birch!" She stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you!" Terry frowned, but took her hand and shook it.

"I'm Terry Yamato. Norman's son." He let go of her hand, and stayed silent, not knowing what to do next. May, however, didn't seem to notice his silence; probably because she kept talking.

"Wow! A real gym leader's son? That must be cool! I don't really want to be a gym leader; I'd rather just be a trainer. But being a gym leader's son must be fun! I heard you didn't have a Pokémon, but if you're lucky, maybe you can get one from my dad!" She fell silent for a second, but kept looking at his hair. She obviously had a question, and Terry knew what it was; but he was tired of people asking him, so he decided not to say anything. Finally, she asked it. "Is your hair naturally white?"

"I dye it," he said simply. She giggled.

"It's pretty cool. Oh! I completely forgot! I have to go help my dad catch some Pokémon!" She picked up her backpack, and Terry took it as his sign to leave. While May ran down the stairs, he walked slowly down them. After waving goodbye to Mrs. Birch, he walked outside and sighed. He didn't want to go home yet; if he was going to spend the rest of his life in Littleroot Town, he might as well get acquainted with it. After walking around a bit, he was downright bored. The Johto Region had been exciting and fun; Hoenn just showed all the signs of reeking. He was just about to give up when he found a little path outside of the town. He smiled and began walking down it. After awhile, he became bored again. He sighed and began walking back when he heard a cry.

"Help! Please, somebody help me! Please!" Terry frowned, adjusted his backpack, and began running in the direction the cry came from. After awhile, he came upon a startling sight. A large man, late-thirties probably, was holding a stick with his back against a tree. A small, dog-like Pokémon, which Terry recognized as a Poochyena, was growling at him. The large man looked up at Terry and shouted.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Terry Yamato!" Terry replied, while trying to figure out how he could help this man.

"Norman's son? Good! I'm Professor Birch! Please! See that bag over there?" Professor Birch pointed at bag thrown haphazardly off to a side. Terry nodded. "There are some Pokémon in there! Pick one and help me!" Terry ran over to the bag, shoved his hand inside, and picked a Poké Ball. Then, he threw the Poké Ball at the Poochyena. It hit the Poochyena on the head, bounced off, and opened. Out flew a Torchic. The Torchic chirped a bit, obviously waiting for its instructions. The Poochyena, however, needed no such instructions. He charged at the unsuspecting Torchic, and used the Tackle attack on him, slamming him into the ground. Terry winced.

"Prof. Birch, what do I do?" He yelled as the Poochyena backed up for another attack. Prof. Birch looked at him.

"Try an attack! Try Scratch!" The Professor suggested. Terry nodded.

"Torchic! Scratch attack him!" The Torchic chirped in agreement and charged at the Poochyena with his talons outstretched. The Poochyena, however, evaded easily, and slammed Torchic into a tree with a sickening thud. Terry winced again.

"Torchic! Keep using Scratch on him!" Torchic ran in to attack the Poochyena, but each time the Poochyena evaded and slammed Torchic down. Each time, Torchic fell with a thud. I got to him. The pressure. The yelps of pain as Torchic took each blow without giving up. Professor Birch yelling suggestions to him. Terry fell to his knees and bent over. He felt sick. He couldn't take it. And then, suddenly, instantly, he could. He looked up. The feeling of sickness was gone. His head felt as if it was on fire. The Poochyena's movements were slow and jerky, while his Torchic's were smooth and sleek. He stood up, and knew what to do.

"Torchic. Front flip over the Poochyena and kick him from behind." Terry's voice had an air of coldness; he wasn't himself anymore. He was calculating, and had total confidence that his order would work. Torchic flipped easily over the Poochyena, and while he was startled, landed a swift, strong kick to his back. The Poochyena fell forward, but didn't give up. He turned around and ran toward Torchic, and at the last moment, jumped up, preparing to attack from above, with teeth bared and claws extended. But this new turn of events didn't stop Terry.

"Duck and run beneath him; then Scratch." Torchic obeyed, and the Poochyena whimpered. The Poochyena was obviously angry. He ran forward and ducked down, biting hard on Torchic's leg. Torchic yelped in pain, as the blood came freely from the wound on his leg. Terry didn't flinch this time; instead he ran up and gave Torchic the potion Terry had put in his backpack. As Torchic drank it down, the wound on his leg began to heal, and once the potion was empty, Torchic could stand. Terry turned just as the Poochyena came running again. He must have thought that what worked one time would work again. He was wrong.

"Torchic. Forget elegant flairs, jump up and Scratch the Poochyena's face." Torchic did it, and the Poochyena yelped as blood trickled down his face. He whimpered, but got back up and came charging again.

"Jump to the side and slam your beak into his flank," Terry ordered. He was done playing games with the Poochyena. He would finish it off. The Poochyena would give up, or he would not fight for a long time. The Poochyena fell on its back as the blood matted his fur. He tried to growl, but couldn't. The pain would only allow for a small, frightened whimper. The Poochyena pulled himself to his feet, and limped away, whimpering every few feet. Terry bent down and picked up Torchic's Poké Ball.

"Torchic. You did a good job." He clicked the Poké Ball's large white button, and the Torchic was sucked back inside the Poké Ball. Terry looked at the Poké Ball with a good feeling. And then, it all went away. His head was no longer on fire; it was cold with sweat. Time seemed to slow down, and he felt sick again. He fell to the ground, and could hear Prof. Birch's voice, but it sounded slow and distant. Just before he fainted, he threw up.

When he woke up later, he was in a white room. Professor Birch was sitting in the corner sipping some tea. Terry sat up. He felt strange; or good. It was strange because he knew he had just thrown up and fainted, and he knew he should feel sick to some degree; but he didn't. He felt perfectly normal.

"I see you're awake," Professor Birch said calmly. He seemed to want to say something, so Terry kept quiet. "I bet you're wondering why you don't feel sick; after all, you just threw up a few hours ago." Terry nodded. "Well, there is a reason for that." Professor Birch was quiet for a moment. "You see, you aren't sick. You weren't sick, and hopefully you won't be sick in the future. In the last four years, the worst sickness you've had was the common cold, and that wasn't even too serious. In short, your recent display of vomit had nothing to do with any illness." Terry frowned. That was good to know, but it didn't really answer anything. "You see, the reason why you threw up, was because of the Pokémon battle earlier this afternoon." Now Terry was worried. Did this mean he was allergic to Pokémon? Would he never get a Pokémon to play with? "Tell me Terry. Did you experience anything…strange during your battle with the wild Poochyena?" Terry thought back.

"Well, now that you mention it. I felt like my head was on fire. Also, the Poochyena was moving very slowly and jerkily; and the Torchic was moving quickly and smoothly," Terry replied. That was out of the ordinary, but he didn't know why it was such a big deal. "Oh, and I felt like everything I told Torchic to do was going to work." Professor Birch nodded.

"That proves it." He was quiet for awhile again, and Terry wished that he would get to the point. "You are not a normal Pokémon Trainer," Prof. Birch said simply. And then he sipped his tea again. Terry couldn't believe it. _That's it?_ He thought. _That's all? 'You are not a normal Pokémon Trainer'? What is that?_ Professor Birch stood up, obviously for an added effect. "You are a Natural." Terry frowned, not knowing what that meant. "You see, normal Pokémon Trainers think about their battles. They are always changing strategies, always uncertain. They never know if their attacks will work or not. They are always spending late nights checking books and their Pokédex for new information of different Pokémons' attack patterns. You are not like that. You were confident. Even though you hadn't ever fought a Pokémon battle before, you knew you could win. You are a natural Pokémon Trainer. You are a Natural." He paused to let Terry soak this new information in. After what he deemed a satisfactory pause, he continued. "Your strategies work. You can connect with your Pokémon. You have the ability to subconsciously know what will win Pokémon Battles. Naturals are rare. They are born, not made. You could be a Natural your entire life and not realize it; because most Naturals don't feel any different when they battle. You will find that the opponents Pokémon's movements won't always seem jerky; the Poochyena's movements were jerky only because it was weak. And your head will continue to feel hot for awhile, but you will get used to that as well, even to the point where you don't notice it anymore. This, however, does not mean you are not strong. You are a Natural, and because you are, the have abilities that normal Pokémon Trainers can only dream of attaining. You see, you were not born to fight Pokémon Battles; you were born to _win_ Pokémon Battles." Terry became excited.

"Does this mean…does this mean that I'll never lose a Pokémon Battle?" Terry felt almost faint. If he could never lose…he could be champion of the Pokémon League!

"No. As you will remember, the wild Poochyena did manage to bite Torchic's leg; and before that he was slamming Torchic around. You will lose; but not often. You have the potential to go places. You have the potential to get to the Pokémon League." Professor Birch caught the gleam in Terry's eye. "I'm not saying you'll be champion though; many people who reach the League are Naturals as well. And just because you have great potential doesn't mean that you're any better or any stronger than normal Pokémon Trainers; after all, Norman has given away his fair share of Gym Badges to normal Pokémon Trainers." Terry couldn't believe his ears.

"My dad…is a Natural?" he managed to say.

"Yes. Of course, being a Natural isn't hereditary, so he didn't know if you would have the ability. Now, I've had a chat with Norman and your mother while you were out cold, and they both agree that your vomiting directly following your match with the wild Poochyena is due to the fact that you had not experienced such power before. They also agree that you should not waste this talent that you have. They think that if you're a Natural, you should make the best of it. So, if you so desire, you may join the Pokémon League."

"What? Yes! Yes, please sir!" Terry almost yelled. Was this really happening? Was he joining the Hoenn League? Professor Birch smiled.

"Norman believed you would respond that way. Alright," he said, pulling out a Poké Ball and a Pokédex. "This is your Pokédex. It will give you information on all Pokémon you have seen or caught; including height, weight, social behavior, attacks; whatever you could possibly want to know. But not on Pokémon you haven't seen yet. This Poké Ball contains Torchic; to be more specific, the Torchic you fought with today. Seeing how you already have battle experience with him, I believe he will make an excellent partner." Terry took the Pokédex and Poké Ball in his hands. Professor Birch nodded. "Now, please wait here while I submit you to the Pokémon League." Terry nodded absentmindedly and turned on the Pokédex while Professor Birch left. A small screen lit up with a scroll down list of all the Pokémon he had seen/caught. He looked up Torchic and read the article out loud.

"_Torchic is a small, orange Pokémon. It is of the fire type, but, due to its bird-like appearance, can also attack like a bird. But, while it maintains the ability of flying-type moves for its entire evolutionary path, when it does evolve, it begins to look less like a bird and more like a fighter, which may account for its fighting-type moves. The Torchic is small, and loves to be taken care of. If you treat it well, it can become very strong. It is also one of the three choices for new Hoenn Trainers, the other two being Mudkip and Treecko, water- and grass-types respectively."_

"Fascinating device, isn't it?" Terry looked up and saw Professor Birch standing in the doorway. "A professor in the Kanto Region, Professor Oak, invented them. Well, you are now officially in the Pokémon League's databases. You are a Hoenn Pokémon Trainer now!" Terry could hardly contain his excitement. He got out of the bed and stretched, then put his Pokédex in his pocket and put away the Poké Ball which contained Torchic.

"What to I do now? Should I go to Oldale Town?" Terry asked.

"No…not yet. I want you to do a little favor for me. You see, my kid, May, is a Pokémon Trainer; a normal one. And, although I know you're just starting out, and you don't really know how to use your skills as a Natural…I'd like you to battle her. It'd be a great experience for both you and her." Terry nodded in agreement and followed Professor Birch down a few winding hallways, wondering where they were going. Suddenly, they came to a large, steel door. Prof. Birch put his hand on a little pad, and it was scanned.

"_Personnel recognized. Professor Birch. Please have a nice day."_ Professor Birch smiled as the door hissed open. Terry stared at what was on the other side in amazement. It was a large, green field. It was obviously a stadium, but the entire thing was covered in grass. An artificial wind was blowing. Terry couldn't believe it.

"Welcome to the Pokémon Laboratory Stadium. All the latest technology; we installed it a few years ago, and May comes here to practice," Professor Birch said. Terry nodded. Professor Birch smiled. "I see you like it. Well, I'll be over there watching the outcome of this little encounter," he said, pointing at a bench over at one side of the stadium. Terry looked around and saw May, standing on the other side of the field and smiling. She was looking very good, Terry noticed, cuter than when he saw her in her room, but he pushed that thought away. He had just become a new Pokémon Trainer; he had to win this fight to prove that he could take on the Elite Four themselves. His hand reached for the Poké Ball at his side.

"Well, hello Terry! You know, I was here when you were still out cold. My dad told me that you're a Natural; not only that, but that your starter Pokémon is a Torchic. Well, mine is a Treecko. Grass-type, you know, so you'll have the advantage. And you're a Natural; but I don't care! If anything, this'll be an interesting match. I just hope we can still be friends after I beat you!" Her hand went to her side, and she threw her Poké Ball out. "Go! Treecko! Knock him dead!" Terry smiled.

"Sure, May. We can be friends. That is, if you still want to be friends; because I'm not going to lose!" he said, his hand grabbing the Poké Ball and throwing it with conviction. "Go, Torchic! We can do this!"


	2. The First Battles

_Disclaimer:_

_Akeno: Ahem. I do not own Pokémon. If I did, the TV show wouldn't be so horrible. Also, I do not own anything that is protected by law that may appear in this fanfiction._

_Terry: Hey, Akeno!_

_Akeno: What the…Terry! Don't you have a fanfiction to do?_

_Terry: Yeah, but it's kind of boring. And you left us at a completely unnecessary cliffhanger. Oh, and you said you didn't have anything fun to write up here, so you asked me to help you talk about stuff._

_Akeno: Alright. Hey, why don't we review our reviews?_

_Terry: We only have one review._

_Akeno: Whatever! Our review is from DJ Sandberry. He writes: "_Well written story, though I was a bit thrown off by the whole "natural" thing. It made little sense, and it seemed like a desperate attempt at singling the main character from others. Keep up the good work otherwise._" You make a good point there, DJ. First, thanks for the good review, and second, I'll explain. The whole 'Natural' thing is weird, yes, but the main character isn't the only one with that ability. In fact, although I will bring in new characters to have the 'Natural' powers, I've also made many powerful trainers within the game be 'Naturals'. And as for being confusing, don't worry; I'll explain it better in this next chapter._

_Terry: Good enough for me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go kick May's weak little Treecko._

_Akeno: Right. What makes you think you'll win?_

_Terry: That's easy too. I'm the main character._

_Akeno: Oh. Of course._

**Chapter 2: The First Battles**

As Torchic flew out of the Poké Ball, Terry smiled. He had everything going for him. He had the type advantage over May; and he was a Natural. He would win easily. But May was smiling too, as her Treecko assumed what Terry could only guess was an attack position. Did she actually think she could win? She had no chance.

"Don't let the fact that you're a Natural make you cocky, Terry! My daughter is very good!" Professor Birch yelled from the sidelines. Terry frowned. He had the advantage. What could May possibly do? But May was smiling wider now. She knew something he didn't. He growled in contempt.

"Let's go May! I don't care if you are good; I can't lose…I won't lose! Torchic! Jump five feet to the right and use Scratch!" he yelled. May giggled and shook her head.

"You have so much to learn, Terry. Treecko, shift your weight on to your left foot and push back to dodge; then, do a front flip and slam him with your tail!" Treecko did exactly that; when Torchic was in the final arc of the Scratch attack, Treecko pushed back, evading the attack completely. Then, he pushed forward, flipped over, and brought down his tail onto Torchic's head, causing him to fall to the floor, chirping in pain. Terry frowned.

"Just a flaw in the plan," he murmured, and then, louder, "Torchic! Fall back!" Torchic struggled to stand, and chirped a bit. Then, he turned and came back to Terry. Terry sighed.

"So Terry; had enough? My Treecko can do this all day if you want." She laughed. "But I don't think your Torchic wants to!" Terry grimaced. It was true; his Torchic had taken a powerful blow to the head. He'd have to rethink his strategy. _What am I saying? I'm a Natural! I don't need strategy_, he told himself.

"Torchic! Remember, you have the type advantage! Try an Ember attack!" Terry smiled. A grass-type Pokémon wouldn't last long up against a fire-type move. Torchic chirped quickly and let out a small blast of fire.

"Treecko! Shift your weight to your right foot and push to the left!" May yelled. Treecko did so, and dodged the fire attack easily. "Now! Use Pound!" Treecko nodded and came running at Torchic. Terry laughed.

"You've done this already, remember? Torchic, try Treecko's move! Shift your weight on your left leg and push back!" Torchic chirped and pushed back, hoping to dodge Treecko's blow. However, instead of flipping over to deliver the attack, Treecko spun around, gaining centrifugal force, before delivering the final blow, which effectively knocked Torchic off his feet with a sickening thud. Terry flinched. He looked around, and saw Professor Birch shaking his head and smiling. _He doesn't think I can do this! I'll show him!_ Terry looked back at the battle, fury in his eyes.

"Torchic! Slam your beak into Treecko! Use the Peck attack!" Torchic was on the ground, trying to get up, but couldn't. May sighed.

"I'm kind of sad I have to hit that Torchic when it's down; but a battle's a battle! Treecko! Do your stuff!" Treecko nodded, but Terry didn't know what to expect. Treecko came running at Torchic, and begin spinning; only this time, with his tail on the ground, kicking up dust as he went. At the end, he flipped towards Torchic in an elegant jump, and slammed his tail on the ground inches from where Torchic lay, sending him flying off with a chirp of pain. Terry winced. The cries weren't just of pain; they were also of disappointment. Torchic was disappointed in him…he clenched his fists into little balls…just because he was a Natural didn't mean he was better than anybody else! He had to fight just as much as May. He needed to get a grip on this battle. Professor Birch had told him not to get cocky. It was time to listen to him…and then, his head caught on fire. He felt it; power. The power he had felt just earlier that day. But this time, he wouldn't let it go to his head. He opened his eyes.

"Torchic; get up." There was an air to his voice; not cool and calculating like before, but calm and confident. "First, run towards Treecko." May smiled.

"You just don't learn, do you, Terry? Honestly, I expected better from a Natural; or at least something better from a gym leader's son." She smiled. "Oh well. It can't be helped. You'll learn the hard way. Treecko, Pound!" Terry felt a fire build up in him; it was his anger, his pride; what had almost made him lose this match. He shrugged it off. He didn't need anger. All he needed was his Pokémon.

"Torchic, jump to one side and slam into him." Short, sweet, and to the point. As Treecko jumped up to flip, Torchic braced himself, and as the tail came down, Torchic jumped to the left. No sooner had Treecko's tail connected with the ground when Torchic came running, slamming Treecko from one side. May flinched.

"Treecko! Bullet Seed!" Terry smiled. Finally, she had to resort to special attacks.

"Torchic, Ember." The blasts of fire quickly engulfed the seeds. Torchic chirped, and May gasped.

"Treecko! Get close and give him a Pound from the side!" Treecko ran, and began to spin like a top, adding the centrifugal force to his attack once again, but Terry had expected it.

"Torchic, run up to Treecko and give him a short-range Ember." Torchic chirped and ran up to his opponent. Treecko had been spinning fast, but Torchic just needed to find an opening. And then, when he spotted it, Torchic went running. He chirped right in front of Treecko's face, and before he could slam him away, Torchic sent a blaze of fire at Treecko's face. Treecko went flying, his head still on fire.

"I would suggest you call him back. He's a grass-type Pokémon, and won't last long like that," Terry said calmly. May looked at him angrily, but called Treecko back. Terry smiled, and fell to his knees. He still couldn't believe the Natural's power; he had no chance of winning this match until it had kicked in, and then he had owned the battle. Professor Birch clapped.

"Well done, Terry. You'll find, as you continue fighting, that the Natural's abilities will come easier and easier; soon they'll kick in automatically; and then, you won't even realize that you're using the Natural's power. And soon, the Natural's power won't take so much out of you; if you notice, you didn't throw up this time after the fight. As for you, May, you did well. But, you depended on Terry's cockiness to much. The second his Torchic lost faith in him, he realized his error, and you didn't stand a chance. You need to fight all people as if they were at their best, even when they're at their worst. Just because you're a normal Trainer doesn't mean you can't beat a Natural. Why, you almost did so right know!" He smiled. "You two are very skilled. You should start the League Challenge as soon as you are ready. Oh, and May. Ixios said that he wants to see you. I'll let him in." Terry frowned as Professor Birch walked away. As he opened the door, a boy about Terry's height and age with brown hair was waiting on the other side.

"May! What's up? How's your Treecko doing?" He had a warm, friendly voice, and seemed pretty happy. May laughed.

"Ixios! Nothing much. Treecko's doing great!" She smiled. Then, she remembered Terry standing right next to her. "This is Terry! He's a Natural; just got his Pokémon today, a Torchic, but he's already pulling it of great!" Ixios smiled.

"A Natural, eh? How's it going? Don't worry about the lack of power after battles; they go away after a while." He smiled a knowing smile, and Terry looked at him questioningly.

"You're a Natural?" he said carefully.

"Yup! Started fighting when I was eight years old. Took a lot out of me, but it was worth it. My starter's a Mudkip." He turned back to May. "May's always been jealous of me though. I came down because I heard she joined the Pokémon League. I joined a few months ago, but I told her I'd wait for her before I started out." He looked at Terry. "So, you're in the League too?"

"Yeah; I just joined a few minutes ago," Terry admitted, a little embarrassed.

"Well, my cousin here is a pretty good Trainer; I don't doubt you would be able to take him, Terry!" May giggled. Terry and Ixios both shook their heads.

"Not now, May. He's got to be wiped out from the match with you. I'll take him on in Oldale Town. Hey…Terry, right? You want to travel with us?" Terry shook his head.

"No; I'll only be a burden," he mumbled.

"Aw, Terry! Oh well. You should take some Poké Balls at least." May smiled and pulled some Poké Balls out of her bag. "Here! Five. You should know that you can only carry six Pokémon in your party, so with Torchic, that'll max you out! You can buy more in Oldale Town, though." Terry took the Poké Balls and smiled.

"Thanks."

"Well then, we'll see you in Oldale Town! C'mon May, we need to get you ready! And Terry, don't forget what I said! We _will_ battle in Oldale Town!" Ixios led the way out of the stadium. Before they left, May turned.

"See you, Terry!" she said happily. Terry shook his head, and began walking out the door.

The next day, he was lacing on his new running shoes. His backpack was full with anything he might need, and his Torchic was completely restored. He wasn't feeling tired anymore, and he couldn't wait to get out and travel the Hoenn Region. His mother was still in bed; it was six o'clock in the morning. When he had told her he was going to take the Pokémon League Challenge, she had gone on about his father doing the same thing at his age, and yadda, yadda, yadda. He had zoned out a bit, but she had agreed to his going as soon as possible. He had left her a note saying he didn't want to waste any more time, and that he had set out. And, with a confident spring in his step, he set out for Oldale Town.

Very few lights were on in Littleroot Town at the moment, and the sun was barely starting to wake up. He would be on the road long before the sunrise. He began walking. He frowned; he had no idea which way was out of town, until he found a sign pointing him in the right direction. After following these signs, he found himself on Route 101, the route that would take him to Oldale Town.

After awhile, he was getting bored again. He had seen a few wild Pokémon, and he even tried to catch a Wurmple; but the sight of Torchic had sent him running. There was nothing to do. A few hours into the road, Terry had let Torchic out of his Poké Ball, and he was sitting on his head right now, chirping at this and that and everything else.

"Torchic! Please be quiet! You're getting a little annoying," Terry groaned. Torchic chirped an indignant sounding chirp, and Terry mumbled, "Sorry." They kept on walking like this for a while, but Torchic had stopped chirping so much. Soon, though, they came upon another wild Pokémon; a Poochyena.

The Poochyena looked very familiar; all except for a scar on its face and a slight limp in its walk. On closer inspection, Terry realized why it looked so familiar; it was the same Poochyena that had attacked Professor Birch, and it was growling. Torchic chirped a bit, and jumped down off Terry's head.

"Alright, Torchic. Let's fight him again; and this time, we'll catch him!" Terry smiled. After quickly looking at the surroundings, he knew he could win, and began a plan.

"Torchic! First, jump to the rock ten feet to your left!" Torchic did so, and Poochyena followed, as Terry had hoped. "Now, jump on to the rock and push back, back flipping over Poochyena!" Torchic chirped his response just moments before jumping on the rock. Poochyena growled and tried to clamber on, but couldn't. When he saw that Torchic was flipping back, he tried to turn around and bite him.

"Don't let him, Torchic! Slam your foot on his head!" Terry hoped that worked; it didn't. As Torchic brought his foot down, Poochyena skidded to a stop, and once Torchic was on the ground, he tackled him. Torchic chirped.

"No!" Terry frowned, thinking of what to do next. "Torchic, use Focus Energy!" Torchic nodded. Focus Energy was a move that Terry had found in the Pokédex, which supposedly raised the critical attack of a Pokémon. He hoped it did. Torchic closed his eyes and began to glow. The ground underneath him cracked, and the energy emitting from his body caused rocks to slowly lift off the ground. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, with fury blazing. The ground shifted, and the rocks hovering in air exploded. He chirped softly, lowly, but it was a chirp filled with rage.

"Now, Torchic! Slam him hard!" Torchic simply nodded. As he pushed off the ground, it seemed as if a ball of pure energy was skimming across the field, cracking the ground as he went. Poochyena whimpered and tried to turn, but halfway through, Torchic connected with his flank. As Poochyena yelped, Torchic kept moving, pushing him farther and farther until they hit a tree. Torchic jumped up, and as Poochyena was bouncing off the tree, Torchic kicked him into the ground. Poochyena let out a loud yelp and fell silent. Terry had heard a cracking sound, and could only assume that a bone was broken. He pulled out an empty Poké Ball and threw it. Poochyena was sucked into the ball and slowly, the ball began the catching process. Poochyena struggled a bit, but in the end, fell still. Terry smiled, picked up the Poké Ball and frowned. He pulled out his Pokédex, looking for something. On one side, it had two extendable cords, one labeled 'TM/HM', and one labeled 'Poké Ball'. He pulled out the Poké Ball cord and hooked it up to the Poké Ball. A screen popped up.

"_Pokémon: Poochyena. Would you like to: 1. Check Abilities 2. Check Status 3. Check Pokédex Entry"_

Terry selected number 2.

"_Pokémon: Poochyena. Status: Gender: Male. Afflictions: Broken Bone, Right Leg; Left Eye, badly damaged; Limp. Suggested medication: Full Restore; Full Heal; Pokémon Center Treatment."_

Terry sighed and looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set, and Oldale Town was still a whole day away. He hoped Poochyena could make it that long.

The next night, he was standing in front of the Oldale Town Pokémon Center, tired, hungry, and very, very annoyed. He had practically run to the Pokémon Center, having to dodge a few Zigzagoons, some Wurmples; and once having to kick a Poochyena out of his way. Every few hours he had checked on his Poochyena's status; first it had suggested a Full Restore, Full Heal, or Pokémon Center Treatment. Then, it had recommended a Full Restore or Pokémon Center Treatment; a Full Heal would be useless. It had continued like that until now, where it only said Pokémon Center Treatment, and then the word URGENT in large red letters next to it. He walked up to the Center's doors, and they opened automatically. He smiled as he went inside.

It was a cheery place. Soft music was being played in the background. The lobby was astounding; it had plush benches, large, flowering plants, PCs, telephones, and two TVs; one was showing Hoenn News, and one was a talk show with a short, freckle-faced kid and his Machop being interviewed. At the end of the lobby were three hallways, each with a sign overhead. The hallway leading right said 'Cafeteria; Pokémon Training Room; Pokémon Relaxation Facilities' on it, the one leading left said 'Bedrooms; Trainer Facilities', and the one leading forward said 'Pokémon Treatment Center; Nurse Stations'. Terry went down this one, and saw a nurse behind a counter smiling at him.

"Hello! Would you like to heal your Pokémon?" she said cheerily. Terry nodded.

"My Torchic is probably tired; and my Poochyena is suffering badly. His status says 'Pokémon Center Treatment URGENT'," he said. She smiled.

"That's nothing we can't handle!" She giggled and took his Poké Balls from him. Then, she hooked them up to a machine and began running the healing program. After a short while, she nodded. "There. Your Pokémon are completely healed. You should go eat, and then take a bath and go to sleep. Tomorrow, I recommend you take both Torchic and Poochyena to the Pokémon Relaxation Facilities, and maybe take them to the Training Room. Now, good night!" Terry nodded, and walked away after telling the nurse 'Thank You'.

In the cafeteria, there were a few trainers here and there, some eating alone, some eating together, some eating with their Pokémon. They were all having a good time. Terry walked over to the area where the food was being served. A cute nurse was behind the counter. She gave Terry a bottle of Miltank Milk, straight from the MooMoo farm in Johto, some chicken, which she swore wasn't Swellow, and buttered bread. He walked over to an empty table and began eating.

"Terry! What's up?" He almost choked on his chicken-not-Swellow. He knew who it was even before turning around; Ixios. He turned around, dreading what he'd find. Ixios had said he'd take him on in Oldale Town. Ixios was smiling and May was behind him. They had trays of food as well. "When did you get here, man?" Ixios asked.

"Uh…about seven minutes ago," Terry replied. Ixios sat down on the side opposite Terry and May sat down next to him. Ixios took a large bite of his chicken. May shook her head in exasperation.

"Did you catch any Pokémon, Terry?" she said sweetly. Terry nodded.

"A Poochyena," Terry said. Ixios swallowed and took a chug of his milk.

"I got a Wurmple, and May here got a wimpy little Zigzagoon," he said. "Anyway, you should get a shower. Once you're ready, come to the rooms. You should probably get some rest." He downed the rest of the milk and smiled. "Good milk," he commented.

Later that night, Terry was lying in his bed. He couldn't get to sleep; too many things had happened in the last few days. He found out that he was a powerful Pokémon trainer even though he had never touched a Poké Ball before in his life; he was miles away from home; he was confused and alone. He had no friends in all of Hoenn other than May and Ixios, and−

"Get up." Terry shot up in bed, and saw Ixios standing over him.

"What are you doing?" Terry hissed. Ixios shook his head and walked over to the door.

"Get dressed, and meet me in the Pokémon Training Facilities." Terry looked at him, puzzled, and Ixios laughed. "You didn't think I'd forgotten about our fight, did you? I had to trick May into thinking we weren't going to fight. We need to talk." Ixios left, and Terry cursed underneath his breath. After getting dressed, he began walking towards the Pokémon Training Facilities, wondering what Ixios wanted. After stepping inside the Facilities, he whistled. The entire place was designed to look like a natural Pokémon environment, with a small field, a pond, some rocks, a miniature desert, and high cliffs. It was just as impressive as Professor Birch's Stadium. Ixios was sitting on top of one of the large cliffs, and was smiling.

"Tell me, Terry. What did my uncle tell you about being a Natural?" he asked.

"He told me that I had talents; that I could connect with my Pokémon, and that my strategies will usually work," Terry replied. Ixios shook his head.

"But did he tell you why?" he shot back. Terry frowned. It was true, Professor Birch had sounded pretty confusing. Most of it hadn't made much sense.

"No." Ixios nodded.

"I thought not. Why don't I explain it for you?" Ixios smiled. "You see, it's in our DNA. One tiny link in our genetic code is different from those in other people. Naturals are what they are because of random fluctuations that take place during the development of our chromosomes. When Pokémon fight, they emit different waves of energy, which react with our DNA, changing it. When that happens, we become, in a sense, that Pokémon. We become genetically linked to that Pokémon; and so, we gain their instincts. Pokémon fight naturally in the wild; humans took up Pokémon battles as a test of our courage and friendship, so obviously they are better fighters than we are. When a Natural links with a Pokémon, we become better than we should be, normally, as humans." Ixios paused for a breath, and Terry began trying to understand what he had said. It made some sense…he thought.

"So…we get the instincts of the Pokémon, and we can fight better?" he ventured. Ixios thought about that.

"Yeah, in a sense." He jumped down off the cliff and stretched. "Now, we fight. I need to see if you are skilled enough to take on the Pokémon League challenge. There are many Naturals on the path to victory, and if you can't beat me, then you might as well go back home and train for a while." Ixios' hand went to his belt and whipped out a Poké Ball. "I'll give you the advantage, though, and send out my Pokémon first. Go, Mudkip!" With a quick flip of his wrist, the Poké Ball flew and sent out a small, blue Pokémon with orange cheeks. Terry frowned. He couldn't send out Torchic now; Ixios was forcing him to send out Poochyena. Terry sighed, and pulled out Poochyena's Poké Ball.

"Go, Poochyena!" Ixios nodded. Then, he smiled.

"Mudkip, Water Gun!" Ixios commanded. Mudkip nodded tartly and shot a jet of water at Poochyena. Terry flinched.

"Poochyena, dodge to the left and use Growl!" Poochyena dodged the Water Gun by an inch and let out a fierce growl. Mudkip winced for a second. Ixios smiled.

"Mudkip, get closer, and use a widespread Water Gun!" Terry frowned. What, he thought,_ is a widespread Water Gun? Either way, I don't want to stick around to find out!_

"Poochyena, dodge to the right this time, and try a Tackle!" Poochyena nodded and turned to run to the right, but Mudkip was to fast. In a split second, he was in front of Poochyena, and with his mouth spread wide, let out a Water Gun. "Poochyena!" Terry yelled, but when the water cleared, Poochyena was almost completely unharmed. Ixios laughed.

"A widespread Water Gun isn't an attack used to cause damage; only to keep the opponent from running away. Now, Mudkip, use a high pressure Water Gun!" Ixios barked. Terry gulped, but before he could yell to Poochyena, Mudkip was attacking again. This time Mudkip's mouth was in a tight O. The water shot out fast and hit Poochyena straight on the forehead, causing him to fall to the ground, whimpering in pain.

"Dammit!" Terry muttered. He felt the power rise up inside him again; Poochyena's emitted energy was affecting him. Thinking quickly, he thought of a plan, and smiled. "Poochyena, charge!" Ixios shook his head.

"Won't work, Terry! Mudkip, Tackle!" Mudkip began charging, ready to meet Poochyena headfirst, but to Terry, Mudkip looked as if his feet were made of lead.

"Poochyena, do you remember what Torchic did to you the second time we fought you? When he tried to kick your head and you almost bit him?" Terry asked. Poochyena barked; he did remember. "Good! Do what we did to you that time!" Poochyena nodded, and instead of slamming into Mudkip, he jumped over him, and began to run towards a large rock off to one side of the field. Mudkip followed like a sheep going to the slaughter. Poochyena led him right up to the boulder and jumped on. As Mudkip tried to get on, Poochyena flipped over backwards, and, landing directly behind him, slammed him into the boulder. Mudkip fell off, and began to stand up.

"Mudkip! Get up and use a high powered Water Gun!" Ixios yelled. Terry growled.

"Don't let him! Bite his leg, Poochyena!" Poochyena and Mudkip both nodded. Poochyena bite hard on Mudkip's front leg, and Mudkip hit Poochyena with a high powered Water Gun on the side of his head. Poochyena yelped in pain, and flew off of Mudkip's arm; but took part of his skin with him. Poochyena lay on the ground, out cold from the blast of water to the head, and Mudkip lay against the boulder, crying in pain as blood poured from his torn leg. Ixios sighed and called him back; Terry did the same.

"It's a good thing we're in a Pokémon Center, eh, Terry?" Ixios said. Terry nodded. Ixios shook his head. "You beat my Mudkip; my strongest Pokémon. All I have left is my Wurmple, and you have a Torchic. You're probably going to win; but who knows? All I know is that I'm going to fight till my last Pokémon. Let's go!" He put Mudkip's Poké Ball back and pulled out a new one. "Wurmple! Go!"

"You're right, Ixios. We're Naturals. We can't stop just because the odds are on one person! Go, Torchic! Show him how we fight Pokémon Battles!" He put Poochyena back and sent out Torchic. Torchic chirped for a few seconds, but was soon focused entirely on the battle. Terry could feel the power he had felt earlier fall for a second, then rise up higher. Torchic was sending off giant waves of energy; and Terry could feel each of them. "Torchic! Get in close and use a Peck!" Torchic chirped in agreement and began running. Ixios braced himself.

"Wurmple, use a Poison Sting!" Wurmple twirled around and sent out a blast of purple out of two stingers on his butt. Torchic dodged them easily and got ready to use Peck, but Ixios smiled. "Wurmple, now use a String Shot!" Wurmple sent out a long, sticky string out and wrapped Torchic in it. Torchic struggled against it for awhile, but couldn't break loose. "Now, keep tackling him until he gives up!" Ixios commanded. Wurmple nodded and began slamming into Torchic from every angle. Terry thought of what he should do. He could take out the String Shot with an Ember, but that would _only_ take out the string; it wouldn't do anything to Wurmple, and then he'd just do it again. Unless he could boost his attack…

"That's it! Torchic, use a Focus Energy! Give it all you've got!" Torchic chirped and closed his eyes. Terry could feel all the energy around Torchic being absorbed and stored. And then, Torchic let it all loose. The energy cracked the floor, and left a dent in the floor. Some of the rocks in the field flew away, and even Terry was pushed back a bit. Wurmple had been blasted away, but was still in range of a well-shot Ember. Before Ixios could say anything, Terry yelled, "Torchic! Use a high pressure Ember!" Torchic nodded, and Ixios looked at him in disbelief. _That's right_, Terry thought, _I'm using your technique against you._ Torchic's beak opened ever slightly, but Terry could feel the awesome energy stored inside. Then, a jet of fire streaked across the field, scorching everything in its path, burning the string covering Torchic, and hitting Wurmple so hard that he was blasted away _before_ he caught fire. As Wurmple writhed on the ground trying to put out the fire, Ixios smiled.

"Wurmple, come back." Wurmple was sucked inside the ball. "You're good, Terry. Very good. Let's go; you need the rest." Ixios smiled and walked away without saying anything else. Terry's knees shook, and no matter how hard he tried, he could keep standing. He fell to his knees, exhausted beyond measure.

"Torchic, return," he called, and sucked Torchic back into his Poké Ball. Terry walked slowly to his room, and collapsed.

When he woke up the next morning, it was late. He yawned, and stood up; he had been so tired that he hadn't taken off his clothes. There was a note beside his bed.

_Terry,_

_You are a good Pokémon Trainer. I think you have the potential to go places. The next city on your path is Petalburg City, on Route 102. You should head there. May and I are going to pass through briefly, but you might want to stay longer, because your father is the gym leader there. I'm sure we'll meet up at Rustboro City. You have to go there; it's where you'll get your first gym badge. I hope we'll get to fight again soon, and May also wants a rematch, so you better keep training and catching better Pokémon, because we won't go easy on you!_

_Ixios_

Terry sighed. So they had left without him. He shook his head. He really needed to get a friend, or an acquaintance, or at least someone he could travel with. After going to the Pokémon Treatment Center and healing Poochyena and Torchic, he adjusted his bag, made sure he had all his Poké Balls, and began walking out of the Pokémon Center. The next time he would walk in one he would be in Petalburg City; and hopefully he would be stronger than he was now. He knew that he had beaten Ixios that night, but he also knew that he would need to train. He couldn't get cocky, or he would never be able to challenge the Elite Four. He smiled, took a deep breath, and began walking through Oldale Town in search of Route 102.


	3. New Acquaintances! Enter Tiana And Wally

_Disclaimer/Author's Note:_

_Akeno: I don't own Pokémon or anything else that is protected by law that may or may not appear in this fanfiction. Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to thank every one for reading this latest installment of 'Pokémon: Naturals'. I had taken a little 'break' from this fanfiction to get a better idea of the plot, which is why it took so long to update. Sorry about that. Now, I really appreciate it when people review my fanfiction. I've been trying to take the advice I get, though it does take a while to see the differences. I'll review my reviews now, and then let you go on your merry way. DJ Sandberry writes: _

"Good description with the battles, as in the first chapter. On top of every thing ObsidianSpires commented on concerning your story, I'll add that I believe your characters are a little bland. Every one seems to like every one else, Terry's Pokémon are devoid of any kind of personality, and, so far, I think you dwell a bit too much on this Naturals bit. The story's got great potential, but I'm having problems staying interested. Regardless, keep up the good work._"_

_ObsidianSpires writes: "_Not bad, you're a very consistent writer. But Terry is a Gary-Stu, he's just too perfect. Calm and collected, cool in battle (not to mention naturally better at it), kind and caring, really. It's just not believable as a character. Plus, the idea that some people were just 'born' to train is rather stifling. To be a trainer is to compete, and those who just aren't born right will never make it? Luck of the draw? Having some sort of DNA defect that makes you a better trainer is like being a football player with an extra steroid-pumping organ inside him, it's not that he's talented, he was just born lucky. How can you compete with that? But since it's already in the story, I won't pick at it anymore. Otherwise I see no significant flaws, once again good writing style and everything. Until the next chapter, then. OS._"_

_Thank you very much for both the compliments and the criticisms. I'll try to take your advice and fix up my fanfiction; although it may take a while. Also, I tried to restore the whole, 'I don't have too many emotions' thing that Terry had going on in the first chapter. I'm also going to start adding an Author's Note at the bottom of each chapter, to review what happened in each chapter. Oh, and anytime that you see this (−) in-between paragraphs, it means that a major scene change is taking place. Also, starting in this chapter, I'm giving insight into other character's thoughts. That is all._

_Terry: Oh darn, I didn't get to exchange witty banter with Akeno this time._

_Akeno: Oh would you…get back in the fanfiction!_

_Terry: Yay! Witty banter!_

_Akeno: (sigh) Fine, fine. Anyways, thank you all again, and please enjoy the third chapter of 'Pokémon Naturals'; 'New Acquaintances! Enter Tiana and Wally.'_

**Chapter 3: New Acquaintances! Enter Tiana And Wally**

Terry walked through the tall grass of Route 102. It was tedious and annoying; but the last time he tried to clear the road for himself, Torchic's flame had almost set the entire field on fire. It was by pure chance that a Lotad wandering by decided to save his home and helped put out the fire. For now, Torchic and Poochyena were outside of their Poké Balls, but neither would talk with the other. Terry shook his head.

"Look. Both of you are my Pokémon. Mine. So, you have to do what I say. And I say talk to each other. Now!" Terry yelled. Torchic turned his head away and let out a long line of high-pitched, probably derogatory chirps at Poochyena. Poochyena, in turn, turned his head towards Torchic and growled menacingly. Terry sighed.

"Why do you two hate each other so much? Alright, so you've fought each other twice now, and hurt each other pretty bad, but that's no reason to hold a grudge. You two are going to be together for a long time. Longer if I don't see any improvement in your attitudes." Neither of them listened to him, and simply continued to bark and chirp at each other until Terry felt he was going to go insane. "Enough! Torchic! Inside your Poké Ball!" Torchic looked at Terry with sad eyes before he was sucked inside. "As for you, Poochyena…"

Terry stopped short. He had heard a small, shrill series of cries. Pokémon cries, but he didn't recognize them. He turned around to see a small white Pokémon with a green head and a pink horn on its head, but didn't recognize it either. He frowned. There was no reason not to catch it…

"Poochyena," he whispered down to his Pokémon, "Do you see that Pokémon over there?" Poochyena nodded. "Good. I want you to run as fast as you can and Tackle it before it can run away." Poochyena looked up at Terry and let out a questioning whine. Terry didn't really understand what he meant, but guessed anyway. "Because I told you to! Now go!" Poochyena gave a little bark that could be taken as grumpy, but before Terry had a chance to get angry, he was running full speed at the mystery Pokémon.

The Pokémon turned its head and let out high-pitched cries. It began to glow a weird shade of blue, and the air around it grew distorted. "A psychic Pokémon! Damn!" Terry muttered; but nothing happened to Poochyena as he slammed into the mystery Pokémon. "Of course! Psychic moves are ineffective against Dark-Type Pokémon!" He breathed, then said louder, "Poochyena, Bite it!" Poochyena whirled around chomped hard on the Pokémon. It let out a sharp cry. Then, it growled. Poochyena let out a sharp, mocking bark and Terry smiled.

"Is that it? Poochyena, Tackle it!" Poochyena ran towards the Pokémon, snarling at it. Then, the Pokémon glowed blue, and the air became distorted again, but Terry wasn't afraid. Dark Pokémon were impervious to psychic Pokémon. But, instead of directing the attack at Poochyena, the Pokémon instead lifted its arms and pointed at two large boulders on each side of it. The boulders began to glow blue, and were slowly lifted of the ground. The Pokémon then slapped its arms together, and the boulders closed in on Poochyena, ready to squash him between them.

"Jump, Poochyena, JUMP!" Terry screamed at the top of his lungs. He couldn't feel anything. He knew that Poochyena was fighting at the top of his game, but Terry couldn't get calm. He couldn't reach out and embrace the energy; the boulders poised to squash one of his only Pokémon into a pulp made him lose his nerve. Poochyena somehow was able to jump and steer his way out of the path of the boulders right before they were crushed together, and turned to face the psychic Pokémon again. Terry breathed a sigh of relief; which was very short-lived.

The psychic Pokémon turned to face Poochyena, and began to laugh. At least, that's what Terry thought it was trying to do. It lifted one of its arms again, and the remains of the smashed boulders began to shake and glow blue. Terry felt his stomach drop; he felt like throwing up. The Pokémon lifted the rocks off the ground and swung them at Poochyena. "Dodge them, Poochyena!" Terry shouted, and Poochyena barely jumped out of the way when dozens of tiny rocks pelted the ground he had been standing on just seconds ago. The Pokémon continued to levitate and hurl pebbles and rocks at Poochyena as he ran. And then, Terry saw it. The Pokémon was keeping Poochyena occupied. Poochyena couldn't attack it while he was dodging attacks. But why? Poochyena was barely escaping, but he was still escaping; the Pokémon was doing no damage at all…

And then, a tree fell. It made a large, snapping noise, and fell right in front of Poochyena, blocking his path. Terry gasped, and Poochyena turned as rocks hurled at Poochyena. While most of them missed their mark and cracked holes in the tree, enough of them slammed into Poochyena, causing him to yelp in pain as large gashes appeared on him, and blood matted his fur.

"Poochyena, use a direct Tackle on that Pokémon! Show no mercy!" Terry bellowed as tears formed in his eyes. He was a Natural, but somehow, he felt weak and alone. Poochyena charged at the Pokémon, crying as the rocks that flew from the sides tore his skin, but he didn't stop. In fact, with each attack, he seemed to gain momentum. As the Pokémon flung its last rocks at Poochyena, it became desperate. Poochyena slammed headfirst into the Pokémon, and charged it into a tree. Once they hit the tree, Poochyena kept moving, as if he wanted to charge the Pokémon right through the tree. But soon, the toll of all the damage he had taken caused Poochyena to collapse. Both of them lay on the ground, out cold. Terry threw his Poké Ball at the Pokémon to catch it, and it didn't even put up a struggle. He sighed and checked his Pokédex for a new entry. He found a picture of the Pokémon he had just caught, and read its article.

"_Ralts is the emotion Pokémon, sensing and changing to its trainer's feelings. Its appearance changes drastically throughout its evolutionary path; the only real similarity between it and its evolutions are the same colors they share: green, white, and pink. It is a Psychic-Type Pokémon, but can learn different moves from different types, which make for many unique strategies among trainers. A Ralts feels the same emotions as its trainer does; if its trainer is sad, it is sad, and if its trainer is happy, it is happy. It can also change reality around its trainer to make him/her feel better. Ralts is a favorite Pokémon for the manically depressed."_

Terry also found out that his Ralts was a female and that it was out cold, but suffered from no other affliction, so a trip to the Pokémon Center was not as urgent as it had been for his Poochyena. However, he would not be able to use it in battle until it was healed. He frowned, and placed the Poké Ball at his side. Then, he walked over to his Poochyena. He was breathing deeply, and looked up at Terry with a happy look in its eyes.

"You did good, Poochyena. Return," Terry said, as Poochyena was sucked back inside the Poké Ball. Terry checked his status, and found that Poochyena was in better shape than he had thought. Not in good shape, but good enough to fight in a battle if need be.

−

That night, Terry was too wired to sleep. He thought about the battle with Ralts earlier that day, and how he couldn't feel the Natural power. He sighed and called Torchic out. Torchic gave a little yawn, and then began to tweet at Terry indignantly. Since Terry didn't understand any of it, he couldn't really be offended, and just waited for Torchic to finish. When he did, Terry smiled and asked, "You do know I can't understand what you're saying, right, Torchic?" Torchic nodded heatedly and plopped himself on the ground, staring at Terry. Terry laughed.

"Torchic, if I wasn't a Natural, do you think I'd still be good at Pokémon battles?" Torchic began to chirp, and Terry shook his head. "Can't understand you." Torchic rolled his eyes and began to peck at Ralts' Poké Ball. Terry smiled. "How'd I catch her? I had Poochyena fight with her. Why?" Torchic looked up at him and whistled. Terry frowned. "Torchic, how many times…oh I see. You're trying to ask me if I was in Natural form when I caught her, right?" Torchic nodded and Terry smiled again. "Nope. Couldn't seem to reach Poochyena's energy." Torchic looked up at him with a look that said, _that answer your question?_ Terry nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Torchic. Night." He called Torchic back and settled down to sleep.

−

The next morning Terry was feeling better. He stretched and began walking again, in the direction he thought Petalburg was. After awhile of the sun beating down on him made him tired and angry. He saw some more Pokémon along the way, and even tried to catch a Lotad, but ended up making it run away when it saw Torchic. Terry sighed. He could use some water, a shower, and a nice, cold bed right then. Suddenly, he heard a girl's voice behind him.

"You there! You're a Pokémon Trainer, right?" Terry turned around. The girl was about his age, with shoulder length brown hair and green eyes, in a white shirt and a blue miniskirt, wearing long, black stockings. She was cute, and he would have appreciated her much more if he wasn't so tired and annoyed. She was holding out a Poké Ball and looked like she wanted to fight. He scoffed and turned around. "Hey!" she yelled, "What are you doing? If you're a Pokémon Trainer, you have to fight!" Terry rubbed his forehead.

"Look, girl, I don't want to fight you, and believe me, you don't want to fight me either." He sighed and began to walk away, until she ran past him and tried to block his way.

"How do you know? I want to be the Pokémon Master, and I can't do that unless I fight! So let's go!" Terry felt like crying in exasperation. She was cute, yeah, but she was also very annoying. He didn't know why; her voice was beautiful, her body was great…but something about her annoyed him. It was…oh yeah. Her cheerfulness. He waved her aside and walked around her.

"Listen to me. I'm a Natural. You _really_ don't want to fight me." He hoped that would scared her away, but it didn't. All it made her do was throw her Poké Ball at his head. "Ow!" he yelled. "What do you think you're doing?" She looked at him angrily.

"If you're a Natural, then I definitely want to fight! I'm just a Normal, so it'll be great training!" He groaned. She just didn't understand. _Oh well_, he thought, _if she wants to lose, then who am I to stop her?_

"Alright then. My name is Terry Yamato, son of Norman Yamato, leader of the Petalburg Gym. I am not responsible for the damage your Pokémon may obtain during this fight." Terry smiled. _Because they _will_ obtain damage_, he smiled to himself. Then, he looked down at his Poké Balls. He couldn't use Ralts; she was out cold. And it would be foolish to send out Torchic, his strongest Pokémon, out first; so that only left Poochyena. It was perfect; Poochyena wouldn't last long, and would be good for seeing how strong this girl was. He smiled. "Do it, Poochyena!" He threw the Poké Ball and Poochyena flew out, struggling to stand. The girl nodded.

"Okay! I am Tiana Tanaka, of Oldale Town, and I'm training to be the Pokémon Master! My combination is that of power and cuteness!" She winked at him and giggled. Terry didn't know whether to blush or roll his eyes, so he did neither and waited for Tiana to send out her Pokémon. "Go for it, Zigzagoon!" A small Zigzagoon popped out of the Poké Ball and let out a growl-like cry. Terry almost laughed.

"That's all? A Zigzagoon? Even in his weakened state, Poochyena can still take that wimp out! Go for it! Use a Tackle!" Poochyena gave a gruff bark and began charging at the Zigzagoon. Tiana shook her head.

"Zigzagoon, twirl around and use a Tail Whip!" Zigzagoon began to turn, but before he could make it was slammed by Poochyena. As he was flung across the field, Tiana gasped. Terry laughed out loud this time.

"I can't believe how easy this is!" Terry said, rocking with laughter. This time, Poochyena's energy was reaching Terry loud and clear. He had no doubts he could win, and the power inside of him backed him up one hundred percent. Zigzagoons motions were slow and jerky, and Terry felt like he was on fire. He had grown used to the fiery feeling of the Natural's power; in fact, now he kind of enjoyed it. He smiled. "Poochyena, go for another Tackle!" Poochyena nodded again, also completely sure he could win. As he charged for Zigzagoon, he saw Tiana smile.

"Great! Zigzagoon, you Tackle too!" Terry shook his head. They were both using Tackles, and Poochyena was stronger; Poochyena would win hands down. But, with just seconds to go before Zigzagoon and Poochyena collided, Tiana yelled, "Now, Zigzagoon! Duck down and give Poochyena a Headbutt from underneath!" Terry looked at Tiana.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed. Tiana giggled and nodded as Zigzagoon ducked down and slammed his head into Poochyena's stomach. Terry grimaced.

"Alright then, little setback, not too bad…" he muttered. He seized the Natural's power again, and felt his arms burn with vigor. The strength of Poochyena's energy made him smile again... "Poochyena, try a Howl!" Poochyena nodded. Lifting up his head, he let out an ear-piercing howl which made Terry flinch and Tiana cover her ears. Terry nodded. Howl was just like Focus Energy; it increased the power of the Pokémon who used it. As Terry watched, Poochyena's body seemed to bulk up and become more powerful. Terry grinned. "Good job, Poochyena! Now, Tackle Zigzagoon with all you've got!" Poochyena barked and charged at Zigzagoon. Tiana gasped.

"Zigzagoon, run away!" she shouted. Zigzagoon spun around and began running away from Poochyena. However, with his new strength, Poochyena easily overtook Zigzagoon. "Zigzagoon, try to get ahead!" Tiana suggested in a frantic voice. Zigzagoon, just inches away from Poochyena's menacing jaws, picked up a stick, twirled around, and threw it at Poochyena. Poochyena's teeth closed down on it, and it snapped in two. Terry whistled. The stick had been the width of his arm, and Poochyena had broken it easily. With the stick trick, Zigzagoon had managed to gain some ground, and turned around to face Poochyena. "Now Zigzagoon, this is it! Give it all you've got! Headbutt!" Tiana cried.

"Don't let him beat you, Poochyena! You can do this! Tackle!" Terry commanded. Both Pokémon slammed into each other at amazing speeds, and were flung back, collapsing on the ground without so much as a whimper. Terry shook his head. He had hoped he would take out the Zigzagoon without having Poochyena faint, but it was of no consequence. He called Poochyena back and sent out his Torchic. Torchic yawned a bit and chirped angrily at Terry. Terry shook his head. "Not now, Torchic, we've got a fight to win." Tiana had already called back her Zigzagoon and was sending out her next Pokémon, which was…another Zigzagoon. Her motions were just as slow and rough as the last one's. This time, he did laugh. Tiana looked at him indignantly.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh when you actually _beat_ me. Zigzagoon, Tail Whip!" Terry sobered up immediately.

"Torchic, Ember!" he yelled. It would work; Torchic was insanely strong, no Zigzagoon could stand up to him…

"Zigzagoon, twirl around to dodge the attack and use Headbutt!" proposed Tiana, in a voice that suggested that she had no idea what she was doing. However, to her and Terry's surprise, it worked; seconds before the flame reached Zigzagoon, she managed to jump out of the way. Then, turned and rammed into Torchic. Terry growled. The Natural power was in him and burning strong; why didn't that last attack work?

"Torchic, try a Focus Energy!" Terry yelled. Torchic closed his eyes. Wave after wave of unbridled energy began to sweep over the field, sending rocks flying in every direction, whipping up dust and dirt, and sending the little particles of sand flying at Terry's face. A yellow-red aura began to glow around Torchic, lashing upward like a flame. Zigzagoon tried to Growl at Torchic, but it was useless; the cry was swept away with the wind. Finally, the wind died out; the dust cleared, and Torchic opened his eyes. For a moment, Terry thought that the Focus Energy hadn't worked. And then, a blast of energy knocked him off his feet. He didn't know what happened to Tiana or her Zigzagoon, but he heard yelps and cries from their directions. As he struggled to stand, he saw Torchic standing calmly in the middle of the field, with the flame-like aura whipping around him, and his eyes glowing white. Tiana gasped at Torchic, and Terry laughed.

"Didn't I tell you that you didn't want to fight me?" he barked, "Now Torchic, finish it off with a Tackle!" Torchic soared across the field; he was so fast that his energy shot out like a tail behind him; he would pass a large boulder, and seconds later it would implode because of the insane pressure in the air around it.

"Zigzagoon," Tiana cried, "Front flip over him!" What happened next amazed everyone. Just before, the Zigzagoon seemed as if it was running with stones strapped to its feet; but right before Torchic connected with her, the Zigzagoon changed. Her motions became as fluid as Torchic's, and she was able to jump over him. Torchic slammed his feet down and tried to stop, kicking up dust as he skidded to a halt. Terry scowled.

"C'mon, Torchic!" he exclaimed, fearfully, "Keep it up! Try to tackle her again!" Terry couldn't understand it; how had Zigzagoon done that? When he was in Natural mode, opponent's Pokémon were supposed to look as if they were in slow-motion. But Torchic nodded angrily and began to charge at Zigzagoon again.

"Dodge to the right this time!" Tiana yelled. Once again, Zigzagoon's movements sped up to allow her to jump out of the way of Torchic's attack. Terry felt like screaming. He looked at Tiana with a murderous glare, and thought to himself, _just stand make Zigzagoon still for awhile and let me _destroy_ her!_ Of course, Tiana did no such thing, and so Terry became angrier. _She's not even attacking! She's just wearing Torchic down!_ It was true; he could already see Torchic's energy failing; he was gasping for breath.

"That's it, no more damn games!" he cried. "Torchic, blast that Zigzagoon back to the hellhole she came from! Use a widespread Ember attack!" Torchic nodded and opened his beak wide. Zigzagoon's eyes lifted, and she let out a sharp cry. Tiana gulped. The flame burst out of Torchic's mouth quite quickly, and engulfed everything it encountered. Terry nodded. The flame was so wide that the Zigzagoon wouldn't be able to dodge it. Then, to his astonishment, Tiana said something.

"Zigzagoon, use Sand Attack!" Terry frowned in confusion. _What could a Sand Attack do to help?_ he thought. Zigzagoon twirled around, flipping up sand with her tail, moments before the flame overwhelmed her.

Terry sighed and fell to his knees. It had been a hard battle, but he had won. Torchic fell back on the ground. And then, Terry heard something that made his heart stop. His eyes opened wide; he couldn't believe what was happening. Tiana was standing with a grin on her face.

"Zigzagoon, Tackle!" Zigzagoon jumped out of the flames, completely unharmed. Terry gasped for air, and finally was able to see what had happened through the dying flames. Zigzagoon had kicked up the sand to form a makeshift half dome around her; and Torchic's flame had combined with it to make a glass shield, which protected Zigzagoon from the blast. Terry blinked, as if he could change what he was seeing. He was a Natural, he had felt the flame of the Natural's power; and yet he had lost. He had achieved a knew level of strength; Torchic's energy level during the Focus Energy had been astounding. But he had lost. Zigzagoon slammed into Torchic, and kicked his face. Torchic flew across the clearing, with blood trickling out of his beak. He slammed into a tree and fell down, crying.

"Torchic return." Terry pulled out Torchic's Poké Ball, clicked the button to call Torchic back and stood up. Tiana was standing off to one side, unable to believe that she had won. Terry scowled and began walking away; if she was expecting a 'well done' from him, she wasn't going to get one. Tiana called Zigzagoon back and began jumping up for joy.

"I beat a Natural! I beat a Natural!" Terry kept walking. He didn't want to talk to anyone now. What had Ixios said? Something about 'If you can beat me, you can beat anyone'. Hah. That was a load of bullshit. He had just lost to a random trainer, just two days after fighting Ixios. He trudged on, and heard the pitter-patter of Tiana's shoes behind him. She stopped at his side. Terry kept looking forward. "Hi!" she said cheerfully. He grunted. She crinkled her nose. "Are you okay?" He grunted again and picked up his pace. She kept up with him.

"What do you want, you beat me already," Terry murmured. Tiana sighed.

"Oh, come on. So you lost to a Normal, big deal. It's going to happen a lot, you know, so you better get used to it." Terry walked even faster, and Tiana sighed. _He's a stubborn one, _she thought to herself. She jogged up to him and struggled to keep his pace. Quickly, she reached into her pack and pulled out the gift her father had given her on the day she had set out on her journey. She slid it into Terry's hand. "Here," she whispered. Suddenly, Terry stopped. He looked at what she had given him. It was a Full Revive. He looked at it, puzzled, and then looked at Tiana.

"These things cost a lot…how did you..." Tiana smiled.

"My dad owns a Pokémon Mart. He gave it to me when I started out. I want you to have it." Terry frowned.

"No." He put it back in her hands and walked away before she could say otherwise. Tiana shook her head. _A _real_ stubborn one_, she thought.

−

That night, Torchic was feeling well enough to start a campfire. Terry hoped the flame would scare wild Pokémon away. He lay down against a tree and closed his eyes. Torchic was lying next to him on a bed of leaves, while Ralts and Poochyena were still out cold in their Poké Balls. Torchic feebly chirped at him. Terry smiled and struck up conversation.

"We should make it to Petalburg tomorrow," Terry whispered softly, "I'll get you to a Poké Center as soon as I can. For now, though, you should get some rest." Torchic nodded and drifted off to sleep. Terry sighed and thought about the fight with Tiana earlier that day. Tiana was just a Normal…he was a Natural at the top of his game. How could he have lost? He couldn't see it. His strategy should have worked; Torchic had just reached a new level of energy. How could Tiana's Zigzagoon dodge him? She barely dodged, yeah, but she still dodged. He sighed, and fell asleep pondering these questions.

−

The next evening, when Terry arrived at the Poké Center, he was testy. Not only had he not figured out why he had lost the fight against Tiana, but it seemed as if every wild Pokémon on Route 102 had wanted to fight him. Of course, that was difficult with no useable Pokémon, and the 'battles' usually ended with Terry running away. He stormed through the sliding doors and marched straight to the Pokémon Treatment Center and fumed. A nurse smiled at him.

"What can I do for you, sir?"

"Heal my Pokémon," Terry replied, rudely. The nurse didn't seem to mind, which just infuriated him more. He paced around the lobby until the nurse called to him.

"Your Pokémon are healed, sir. May I recommend−" Terry picked up his Poké Balls walked away before she could finish. He took his bath and quickly fell asleep.

The night's rest was good for him. His anger had simmered down, and he felt much better. He decided that he didn't care why he had lost to Tiana. It wasn't as if he was ever going to see her again. He walked slowly to the Pokémon Relaxation Room. It was beautiful. The room perfectly simulated an untouched glade, with large oak trees towards the fringes of the small valley which continued into a miniature forest. Looking up, he saw that the ceiling was painted sky-blue. There was a large, yellow, light-emitting orb on the ceiling, positioned on a metal beam, and looked as if it could actually move along the beam. Terry assumed, correctly, that the orb was meant to emulate the sun. A small brook was flowing through the middle of the dale. Terry was amazed; the room was the perfect place for Pokémon to relax. He called out his Torchic, Poochyena, and Ralts. Ralts and Poochyena cuddled up against Terry's legs.

"Alright, you two, Poochyena and Ralts," Terry began, "I'm going to go see my dad at the Pokémon Gym. I'll be back in about an hour; maybe two. Go on, I'll see you later!" Poochyena and Ralts ran off to explore the room. Torchic stayed behind, and looked at his trainer expectantly. "That's right, Torchic. You're coming with me. I'm sure you'd like to see my dad; he's pretty cool for a middle-aged guy." Torchic smiled, and in one deft move jumped onto Terry's head. Terry was turning to move when he heard a sweet, beautiful, and all too familiar voice.

"Is that you, Terry?" Terry groaned. _Tiana_. He didn't turn to face her; instead he kept on walking. Tiana said good-bye to her two Zigzagoons for awhile and ran up beside him. "So you finally made it to Petalburg, huh?" Terry nodded, but said nothing. For a moment they walked in silence; most people would realize that Terry didn't want to talk. Of course, Tiana wasn't one to be discouraged. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"To my dad's gym," Terry said, instantly regretting it. Tiana breathed in deeply, and let out a squeal of excitement.

"Your dad is a Gym Leader?" she asked excitedly. "That is so awesome! Wait a minute…" she said, as she realized what that meant, "That means that not only did I beat a Natural…I also beat a Gym Leader's son!" Terry growled lowly. He didn't need this. She smiled at him. "So, can I come with you?" Terry looked at her angrily.

"If I say yes, do you promise to stop talking?" She nodded enthusiastically. He sighed. "Fine, you can come," he mumbled. Tiana jumped in the air and let out a cry of excitement. Then, she gave him a peck on the cheek. Terry blushed, but quickly rubbed his cheeks to make it go away. They walked for a while with no real direction; Terry didn't really know where they were going. Soon, Tiana struck up conversation.

"Did you know that Petalburg was founded 75 years ago? But it was only chosen as a Gym City 20 years ago." Terry looked at her. She was smart; he didn't know that. Swallowing his pride, he talked to her.

"Really? Go on." Tiana smiled up at him.

"A long time ago, the Hoenn League only had five Gym Cities. Dewford, Fortree, and Petalburg are the latest additions. Originally, the Gym Cities were Rustboro, Mauville, Lavaridge, Sootopolis, and Mossdeep. But, to imitate the Johto and Kanto Leagues, we added the last three." Terry marveled at her. He didn't like her; but he didn't know why. She was pretty and liked Pokémon; plus, she was smart; but for some reason, he couldn't 'like' her. Slowly, his eyes wandered to her breasts. They looked so…firm. He wondered if they felt as firm as they looked…he shook his head, gulped, and quickly turned away, blushing.

"I'm from the Johto League. I didn't want to leave; but the Hoenn League called up my father. My father was a very good trainer. He trained our Normal-Type Gym Leader, Whitney. A few other trainers as well. The most skilled was a girl named Michiko." Tiana looked at him, interested.

"Michiko? I think I've heard of her before; didn't she make it to the top Thirty-Two in the Johto League?" Terry nodded, and Tiana smiled. "She was cute. And pretty talented too; she made it that far when she was only thirteen years old." For awhile Terry didn't say anything. Michiko _was_ cute; she had orange hair down that reached down to the curve of her back, with little red bows tied in; deep blue eyes that seemed to peer into the deepest corners of your soul, and the most beautiful creamy-white skin. And she was talented; she loved her Pokémon so much, not to mention the fact that she was always happy; they had met when they were nine, and Terry had thought she was 'the one' for him. He had asked her out once, and, miraculously, she had agreed. Of course, they were just friends. Michiko would never actually go steady with a guy like Terry. But she was important to him. It was Michiko who had convinced him to dye his hair white. Michiko was also one of the reasons he hated to leave Johto; but she told him that she'd contact him via e-mail, so there was nothing he could do. He looked ahead and saw the large roof of a Pokémon Gym in the distance.

"There…I think that's the gym," he said. He and Tiana walked in silence until they reached the gym. Terry slowly walked to the large twin doors of the building, and they opened automatically. He walked in cautiously, with Tiana behind him. "Dad?" he called softly. The lights flicked on, and they seemed to be in a traditional martial arts training room. There were training mats on the floor, and two doors at each end of the room. Tiana gasped, ran over to a Zigzagoon statue over in one corner, and began stroking it in admiration. Terry sighed and turned to the front of the room where he found his dad.

"Hello, son. I'm glad you made it so soon." Terry grimaced; it had been six days since he had left Littleroot Town; he was hoping to have made it sooner.

"Yeah…hi, Dad." Norman nodded. Then, he looked at the strange girl ogling his Zigzagoon statue. He looked at Terry uncertainly.

"Uh…what is she, a new girlfriend?" Terry shook his head embarrassedly.

"No, just some girl who beat me on Route 102 and tagged along," he murmured as Norman chuckled. He put his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Is she a Natural too?" Terry would've blushed if he had cared more; but he felt that given the chance he could beat her in a fair Pokémon battle, when all his Pokémon were fully healed, so it didn't matter.

"No…a Normal." Norman could barely contain his laughter. He wiped a tear from his eye and caught his breath. Then, he looked at the girl who had beaten his son. "You there. What is your name?" Tiana looked up.

"Uh…me? Tiana Tanaka, sir," Tiana said nervously. Norman smiled.

"Well there. I hear you beat my son. Tell me, what Pokémon do you use?" Tiana smiled, happy to talk about Pokémon.

"Well, sir, any cute ones I can find. But for right now, that's only two Zigzagoons." Norman smiled.

"I suggest catching a Shroomish while in the Petalburg Forest. They are…'cute', and very powerful. Their evolution, Breloom, can really 'pack a punch'!" Norman hooted. "'Pack a punch'! Hah!" Tiana and Terry looked at him uncomfortably. Norman laughter died a bit. "Get it? 'Cause he's part Fighting-Type." Tiana laughed nervously, and Terry just shook his head. Norman composed himself. "Well, Terry, I suppose that you came to see me for a reason." Terry smiled.

"Right! I really wanted to show you my starter Pokémon." His hand went to his side to grab Torchic's Poké Ball, but Norman stopped him.

"I believe he's on your head," Norman grinned. Terry looked up and saw Torchic's legs jutting off the top of his head. He had forgotten that Torchic was up there; Torchic had been so quiet the entire time. Terry reached up, picked Torchic off his head, and put him on the ground.

"Dad, this is my starter Pokémon, Torchic. He's really friendly; he likes to fight, but not when he's tired," Terry explained as he scratched Torchic's head. "We haven't known each other long, but I feel like we're great friends!" Torchic nodded. Norman stooped down and scratched Torchic underneath the chin. Torchic cooed appreciatively. Norman smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Torchic. I'm Norman, Terry's father." He kept scratching underneath Torchic's chin, and Terry stopped scratching his head. Norman looked up at his son. "Most Pokémon like being scratched under the chin, not on the head. It's usually just dog Pokémon, like Poochyena and Growlithe that like being scratched on the head." Terry nodded. Norman stood up, and Torchic seemed a bit disappointed, so Terry began scratching him under the chin. Torchic smiled again.

"Well, son, I'm sure you wanted more than to introduce me to your Torchic. So, what did you want?" Terry smiled.

"Well, I was sort of hoping we could battle; you know, Trainer vs. Gym Leader style?" Norman smiled.

"Well, you see, the thing is…" Just as Norman began, the twin doors of the gym opened up. A sickly looking boy about Terry's age walked in. He looked nervous, and awkwardly walked up to Norman.

"H-hello, sir…I was hoping to get a Pokémon today?" the boy said, in a barely audible voice. Norman looked at him, confused.

"Oh…you're…you're Wally, right?" The boy nodded.

"I'm going to stay with my uncle in Verdanturf Town, and I thought a Pokémon would be good company," Wally said, and hastily added, "If that's no problem, sir." Norman nodded gently.

"Of course. Every young person needs a Pokémon to play with. Take my son here. He never had a Pokémon before in his life; and then, just a week ago, he finds out he's a Natural and sets out on the Hoenn Pokémon League Challenge!" Terry stood up from scratching Torchic and extended his hand out to Wally.

"Hi! I'm Terry, Norman's son." Wally frowned and took an instant disliking to Terry. _What does this kid want_, Wally thought to himself, _He's a Natural, and a Gym Leader's son. I bet he's super strong. I bet he thinks he's so cool. Well, he's not. I'll show him!_ Wally smiled, but didn't take Terry's hand.

"I'm Wally Sendas," Wally said dryly. Terry shrugged Wally's rudeness off, picked Torchic up, and placed him back on his head. Wally rolled his eyes, and turned back to Norman. "So…can I please have a Pokémon?" he asked kindly. Norman shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I never got the chance to catch a Pokémon for you. However, I can lend you a Pokémon, and then you can go catch your own. How does that sound?" Wally nodded happily.

"That sounds great!" Norman reached to his side and pulled out a Poké Ball. Wally took it carefully in both hands. "Thank you so very much, sir!" Norman nodded. Then, he looked at Terry.

"Terry…you've caught Pokémon, right?" Terry nodded.

"I've caught a Ralts and a Poochyena," he answered. Norman smiled.

"Good, very good. Decent, strong Pokémon. I would suggest getting a Water or Grass-Type next, as it would prove handy against Rustboro's Gym Leader. Maybe a Lotad; The Lotad is a Grass _and_ Water-Type, which would be doubly useful…" Then he remembered Wally. "Right; Terry, why don't you go help Wally catch a Pokémon?" Terry and Wally both looked at each other quickly, then at Norman. They didn't like each other that much; Wally thought that Terry was acting to nonchalant just because he was a Natural, and Terry thought that Wally was a jerk.

"Oh, dad…" Terry began.

"Norman, sir…" Wally said at the same time.

"We'll do it!" Tiana giggled. Terry looked at her angrily. She had just dropped four points on his 'I like this girl' meter. He sighed, and he, Tiana, and Wally set out to catch a Pokémon

−

A few hours later, Terry had picked up Zigzagoon and Ralts, and Tiana had picked up her Zigzagoons. Right now they were in their Poké Balls sleeping, and Torchic was on his head, chirping a bit. Wally was looking for a Pokémon, and Tiana was checking out her Pokédex for information on Torchic.

"So Torchic learns fighting moves later on, huh? That could prove a problem for my Zigzagoons…" she mumbled. Terry rolled his eyes and pulled out his own Pokédex. He quickly searched for 'Zigzagoon'. This was the entry:

_Zigzagoon is a small raccoon Pokémon. It is white and brown, and very popular among both girls from ages eight to sixteen, and thieves. Thieves are attracted to this Pokémon because of a wonderful ability that allows Zigzagoon to pick up random objects; Pokémon Researchers call this ability 'Pick Up'_−

_Original_, Terry thought blandly, and kept reading.

−_and many robbers abuse this ability by training their Zigzagoon to pick up valuable items. Zigzagoons are capable of running very fast, but only in zigzags. Most can only run in zigzags; a rare few can run moderately fast in a straight line. Zigzagoon is a Normal-Type Pokémon, which means it is vulnerable to Fighting-Type moves, and can learn many moves outside of its type, such as Dig and Steel Tail. Zigzagoon evolves into Linoone._

"I found one!" Wally cried. Terry shot up and put his Pokédex away. Wally was jumping up and down in excitement. "Come, come, look, I found a Pokémon!" Terry ran over, and Tiana was right behind him. They found Wally standing at the edge of a small valley looking at a Pokémon in the center. Suddenly, Terry got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. The Pokémon was a Ralts. Wally grinned and pulled out the Pokéball. Terry looked at him with fearful eyes. Terry was a good trainer, and Poochyena was a Dark-Type Pokémon, but he still barely beat his Ralts; Wally was new at this, and didn't know much about Pokémon Battles; the results could be disastrous.

"No, Wally, don't−" Terry warned, but it was too late. Wally threw the Poké Ball, and with bad aim, hitting the wild Ralts directly on the head. "Dammit!" Terry breathed. There was no choice; Wally would have to learn about dangerous Pokémon the hard way. All Terry could do was hope that his father had lent Wally a good Pokémon.

"Kyuuu!" Terry smacked his head with his hand. Norman had given Wally a Zigzagoon. _A Zigzagoon_. Wally didn't seem to realize how bad things were, though.

"Zigzagoon, Tackle − that's the right thing to do, right?" Wally asked Tiana. Terry growled. Wally was still being a jerk, not talking to him. As if Tiana knew how powerful a Ralts could be! Terry had _caught_ one! Wally had seen his Ralts! But Tiana nodded.

"I've found that most Pokémon can be taken out by force," Tiana agreed, "Tackle away!" Terry moaned. Zigzagoon ran in zigzags towards Ralts. Nothing happened. Terry frowned, wondering why Ralts hadn't done anything yet. He didn't have to wait long, as Wally's borrowed Zigzagoon slammed into an invisible wall, just inches from Ralts.

"Kyuuuu!" Terry smiled, and Wally growled.

"Damn. Zigzagoon…try a Growl!" Wally suggested. Tiana didn't say anything; she seemed to realize that Ralts was psychic, and that Wally was making a mistake. The Ralts jiggled a bit; Terry guessed it was laughing, and if it was, with good reason. The Ralts put his arms on the ground as they began to glow blue; then, he jerked his hands upwards, and the ground in front of him lifted up. It was like Ralts had flipped the ground like a giant bed sheet. Zigzagoon let out a weak growl, which was drowned out by the roar of the ground coming closer, and eventually throwing Zigzagoon a few yard away. Zigzagoon tried to stand up, and barely managed to. Wally grimaced.

"Zigzagoon, try a…" Wally looked uncertainly at Tiana. Tiana shrugged.

"Maybe you should try a Headbutt?" she suggested uncertainly. Wally nodded; it was all he had left.

"Yeah, that. Try a Headbutt, Zigzagoon!" Zigzagoon nodded, and ran in a zigzag pattern towards Ralts. Seconds before he would've connected, Ralts began to glow again, and, with his psychic powers, gracefully dodged Zigzagoon; but didn't stop there. Ralts lifted Zigzagoon up of the ground, and threw him harshly at a tree in the distance. Wally frowned.

"Zigzagoon, can you get up?" he asked uncertainly. Zigzagoon struggled to stand on quivering feet, stumbled a bit, but then stood firmly and nodded. Wally smiled. "Alright. He can't keep this up forever; try to Headbutt him again!" Zigzagoon barked sharply and began to run at Ralts. Ralts elegantly flipped over Zigzagoon's head and slammed him with a wave of psychic energy towards the other end of the valley. Ralts shook with its high-pitched laughter again, and lifted its glowing hands again. This time, two trees near Zigzagoon began glowing blue, and then, a loud crack sounded. All the bark on the trees had 'exploded', for lack of a better word; in truth, it was more like the bark had been ripped off in tiny shards. Whatever had happened, thousands of pieces of debris were poised to strike at Zigzagoon. And then, with the flick of Ralts' wrists, they struck.

"Zigzagoon, dodge!" Wally cried, as if he wasn't already trying to. Zigzagoon flipped and twirled, dodging many of the pieces of bark, but not enough. Many of them struck him, and blood began dripping at a frightening rate. Terry growled. At the pace things were going, Zigzagoon would soon die from too much blood loss. Suddenly, he heard a tiny chirp of concern. Terry's eyes shot up; once again, he had forgotten that Torchic was on his head. He smiled.

"Great! Torchic, send a high-pressure Ember attack to about the center of those bits of bark!" Torchic cheeped in agreement, and soon, Terry felt an immense blast of heat shoot out from the area of his head. He saw a streak of fire pass through the bark, and, almost instantaneously, they all burst into flames. Zigzagoon breathed a sort of sigh of relief, but Wally rounded on Terry.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? I don't need your help!" he yelled irately. For a moment, Terry was taken aback; then, his anger tripled.

"Wally, you idiot!" Terry yelled. He didn't care if Wally wanted to act like a jerk; he'd still have to listen. "Ralts is a Psychic-Type Pokémon! Frontal attacks are useless, because it can attack with its mind, and the only thing your Zigzagoon can do is attack frontally!" Wally looked at Terry, shocked that an almost complete stranger would talk to him like that, but Terry didn't care. He decided to let Wally know that. "I don't care if you never catch a Pokémon; but I won't let you harm an innocent Poochyena with your damn ignorance! Now LISTEN!" Wally was shaking, but he managed to nod. Terry smiled. "Aright; now, my Torchic has fire on its side, but Ralts may be able to block that; so, what we need to do is simple. I need you to distract Ralts until Torchic can get a good angle to attack from. Go!" Wally nodded and turned to Zigzagoon.

"Zigzagoon, run in a circle around Ralts!" Zigzagoon nodded and began to zigzag around Ralts. Ralts slowly began to glow blue, and every rock around him was slowly encircled in a blue aura. The rocks slowly levitated, and Terry waited anxiously for Ralts to try to send them at Zigzagoon. But he didn't; instead, he levitated them all above his head, and pressed them together to form a large boulder. Then, Ralts slammed the stone at Zigzagoon. By pure chance, the rock hit the place where Zigzagoon had been moments earlier, and set out a small shock wave that would've knocked Zigzagoon down, if he hadn't been running in a zigzag pattern. Terry grinned and Wally smiled. Then, something unexpected happened. Instead of going on to another attack, Ralts levitated the boulder again. Wally looked crestfallen.

"Yeah…that's going to be bad," Terry commented. Wally looked at him crossly.

"That's not helping!" he yelled. Terry shrugged, and the wild Ralts slammed the boulder down just inches away from Zigzagoon. This time, he was knocked off his feet, though only for a little bit. Terry grinned.

"Perfect," he breathed, and then louder, "Wally, tell Poochyena to jump over Ralts and use a Headbutt!" Wally looked at him curiously.

"What will that d−" Terry raised a hand.

"Do it!" Wally cringed at Terry's sharpness, but had no other choice than to trust him.

"Zigzagoon, run and jump over Ralts! Then use a Headbutt!" Zigzagoon nodded and let out a dog-like bark. He began running in a zigzag pattern towards Ralts, picking up speed as he went. Ralts nervously followed Zigzagoon's path with his hands, and the boulder chased from the air. Zigzagoon quickly sailed over Ralts' head. Terry smiled.

"Torchic, use a high-pressure Ember on Ralts!" he commanded. What happened next was a perfect execution of teamwork. Zigzagoon swiveled around and slammed his head towards Ralts, avoiding Ralts' falling boulder by seconds. With just moments to spare, Ralts quickly created a psychic barrier between him and Zigzagoon. Almost instantly, Ralts felt the heat of Torchic's Ember closing in on him, and swirled around to protect himself from that. However, this let Zigzagoon use Headbutt from behind, knocking Ralts down, which destroyed the shield protecting him from the Ember. Zigzagoon jumped out of the way just in time, and Ralts began screeching in agony as the blistering flame wrapped around him. When the flames cleared, Ralts was lying down on the ground, unconscious, his skin burnt and dry.

"Yeah!" Wally smiled and pulled out his Poké Ball. "Alright; now, the Poké Ball!" he breathed, and threw the Poké Ball at Ralts. Ralts was sucked inside the Poké Ball and didn't even put up a fight before he was captured. Then, Wally called Zigzagoon back, and he grinned. "Awesome! My first Pokémon! How's that for a great battle, Te−" Wally stopped short when he saw that Terry was breathing hard with his hand at his forehead. "Uh…is something the matter?" he asked, sounding almost concerned. Terry kept breathing hard. Something was…wrong. His head was on fire, but it didn't feel good; not like the Natural's power. It was…different. Ominous…so hot that it felt cold. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you all right, Terry?" It was Tiana. She looked worried. Terry inhaled deeply and tried to make the strange feeling go away.

"I'm…I'm fine, thanks," he managed. Wally grinned.

"Well; you helped me, so I'll give you that. I guess I can't really hate you anymore. But, I still don't like you; not at all. I guess you could say…we're rivals!" Terry smiled, and Wally shook his head. "I've got to go to Verdanturf now. But, if you ever get to visit, we should have a friendly battle." Terry nodded slightly.

"Sure thing, Wally," he breathed. Wally gave Terry Zigzagoon's Poké Ball.

"Do you mind giving that back to your dad? Thanks!" He smiled and walked of, caressing Ralts' Poké Ball. Terry shook his head, and Tiana hugged him from behind. His eyes suddenly went monotone.

"What are you doing?" he asked blandly. Tiana giggled.

"That was real nice of you, helping Wally out. You, know, you act tough, but I know that deep down inside, you're a nice guy!" Tiana squeezed him tighter. Terry looked up at Torchic.

"You know Torchic, back in Johto, the Fire-Type Pokémon know this nifty little move called Smokescreen. All you have to do is shoot some smoke out of your mouth. Why don't you try it out?" Torchic tweeted understandingly, and shot out a blast of thick smoke. Tiana began coughing, and when the smoke cleared, Terry was gone. She frowned. _We have _got_ to work on his stubbornness._

−

Hours later, night was starting to set. Earlier, Terry had returned to his dad's gym and given back Zigzagoon. His dad had informed him that sooner or later they would have to fight, but not to worry; it wouldn't be for a while. For the moment, though, he should go to Rustboro and get his first badge from the Gym Leader there, Roxanne. Terry sighed. Right now, he had stocked up on supplies; Poké Balls, Potions, Antidotes, and the like, for the trip through the Petalburg Forest, and he had healed his Pokémon. The nurse had suggested he stay the night, but he was anxious to start, so he politely turned her down. Tightening the straps on his bag, with Torchic, Poochyena, and Ralts at his side fully healed and ready to go, he was all set for his travel to Rustboro. After a few minutes of walking, he saw someone out of the corner of his eye. Tiana was sitting on a bench, shivering. He frowned and told himself to keep moving, but he couldn't. He slowly walked up to her and sat down next to her.

"Is…is something wrong?" he asked softly. Tears welled up in her eyes. She shook her head and tried to blink them out. He didn't leave; he couldn't leave. It wasn't that he was suddenly turning over a new leaf with her; it was that had suddenly grasped him in a huge embrace, and was sobbing into his chest. Foolishly, he thought about how he could feel her breasts against his chest, but he shook himself out of that train of thought. For a while, he kept his hands on the straps of his bags. However, when she showed no sign of stopping, he slowly, reluctantly, hugged her back. "There…there?" he said nervously. For a while, she cried in his arms. Then, her tears stopped coming, and slowly but surely, she began to compose herself. She sat back up and was breathing heavily. Terry didn't know what to do.

"It's just that…I miss my family…" she finally managed to say. Terry looked at her uncertainly.

"Well then, why don't you go back with them?" he asked. She shook her head, and more tears formed, but she didn't cry this time.

"I…I can't…" she said softly. He was puzzled now.

"Why not?" She looked at him with large, sad eyes.

"My parents…they always wanted somebody in our family to be a Pokémon Trainer…the Pokémon Master, even! But, my big sister managed to escape their dreams by becoming a Pokémon Researcher under Professor Oak in Kanto, and my brother died before he was able to start Pokémon. Now that my mother was in an accident, and can no longer have any children, I'm their last chance; I have to do good; have to be the best. Or they'll disown me." Terry looked at her sympathetically. Then he turned around and looked at the streets of Petalburg. Not too many lights were on; they were almost outside of the City. Nobody was walking around; it was already 11:00 PM, so he assumed most of the townsfolk had gone to bed already. A cold wind whipped through the street; he was reminded that it was fall in Hoenn. He sighed, shook his head, and wondered what he was doing.

"Tiana…?" he asked hoarsely. She looked up.

"Yeah?" His voice was monotone, and she didn't know what to expect.

"Do you want to travel with me…? Just for a little while, of course." Tiana's eyes lit up. She embraced Terry even harder this time.

"Thank you…thank you so much!" Terry smiled. And as the moon glittered down on the peaceful sleeping town of Petalburg City, two fourteen year old travelers, one boy, and one girl, both trying to make it to the top of the Pokémon League, set off for the greatest adventure they would ever have.

_Author's Note: _

_Akeno: w00t. I finished the longest chapter yet. Talk about long. Well, I just finished this chapter, and I'm already writing the next one. Some new things were added today. I introduce Wally and Tiana. Wally will keep the role he had in the game; seemingly weak until Terry fights him in the Pokémon League, where his true power is revealed. I added some 'suspense'; you know, Terry's head hurting and all that. Just a hint: it has something to do with Wally. Unless you're a brain-dead monkey, you probably know that Ixios will be Terry's main rival; well, Tiana will be May's main rival. Yes, Terry and May are the main characters, just like in the game. Also, Tiana had something to gain by becoming the Pokémon Master; she can go home again. This means that she actually has a reason to fight other than 'I want to prove myself'. The other characters also have reasons, but you'll find those out later. Also, a new character, Michiko, was mentioned in this chapter. I will talk about her more; in fact, by the time the gang gets to Slateport, she'll be one of the main characters._

_(Ixios and May walk in)_

_Ixios: Akeno, we would like to have a word with you. Why didn't we show up in this chapter?_

_May: Yeah! You even just said I am the main character opposite Terry!_

_Akeno: Oh…well…don't worry! We'll get to you guys soon!_

_Ixios: How soon? Next chapter soon?_

_Akeno: Perhaps…or perhaps the chapter after that…_

_Ixios & May: …_

_May: Get him._

_Akeno: Ooookay! Anyways, stay tune; next chapter, 'Forest Of Shadows! Teams Magma And Aqua Show Their Faces!'_


End file.
